Airline radio beam game



Aug; 19, 1941. F. D. CLARKE AIRLINE RADIO BEAM GAME Filed Nov. 22, 1957 RECEIVE NEISAGE MM Inl/N5 .RAB/0 674770 /l/f A 'o RNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE Frederick D. Clarke, Manhasset, N. Y. Application November 22, 1937, Serial No. 175,750

3 Claims.

This ,invention relates to games and more particularly to games of the type which utilizes movable pieces, such as a representative airplane, to be moved a certain number of spaces as indicated by a spinner. More particularly the game simulates the competitive movements of the two, three or four aircrafts flying from different points along `radio beams to a given destination or common airport.

. An 4object of` this invention is to provide a game board having given locations situated along a direct line or radio beam, at which the player or pilot, receives instructions regarding the flight of his airplane or moving piece, said instructions beingto either impede or advance the movements i thevarious competing airplanes.

. 4Afurthenobject is to provide a playing field on which any one or more of several competing pieces, or airplanes, moves in a substantially straight line from the time of leaving a `representative airport until arriving over another common airport. which is the destination, said line or ilight being similar to the course followed by an airplane which is traveling on a radio beam course.`

A still further object is to have each airplane start the flight at the landing ield of origin by symbolically flying at one, altitude and then symbolically come clown to a lower altitude before being able to complete the journey on to the landing iield at the airport of destination.

Other and further objects will bec-ome apparent during the relation of certain features of construction and arrangements of parts to be hereinafterfully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more speciiically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the Ainvention in detail reference maybe had to the drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Eig. 1 is a plan view of the game board with a showing of one representative playing piece comprising a miniature airplane and a removable base portion or support.

Fig. 2 is representative of the manner in which the players or pilots will `be instructed to receive certain ilying orders, and special instructions.

Fig. 3 is a spinner such as may be used to indicate to `the players or pilots the number of spaces or units they may advance.

`Referring particularly to Fig. l, the general outline ofthe main playing field is similar to a St. Andrews cross, comprising four legs representing independent routes of travel from four diiferent points of origin, namely, as shown, Montreal, Cleveland, Boston and Washington, each route having acommon terminus, as herewith shown to be Newark.

The playing pieces consist of a base such as 4, having a spindle 5, supported thereon, said spindle 5, having a limiting collar 6, attached thereto which collar 6 abuts the under side of a miniature airplane l,` having an aperture YB, therein for receiving the free end of the spindle 5. The purpose of the removable base 4, for the airplane 1, is to afford interchangeability so that an airplane may useone of several bases during the game to simulate flying at various altitudes to cope with weather conditions and ilying orders, the various bases having numerically indicated thereon the representative altitude in feet for each base. Therefore each player would be prol vided with, say, four differently marked bases, and one airplane of a distinctive color.

Underactual flying conditions airplanes dying in certain directions may be instructed to-ily` at then, that each of the four players would have forhis distinctively colored airplane, one base for 2,000 feet, and severalv bases for higher altit tudes. On the playing board 9,` two points of origin, namely Montreal 2, and Boston 4, respectively are designated as requiring `flights at even altitudes as suggested by the `characters 2 and 4, while Cleveland I, and Washington 3, respectively, are designated as requiring flights at odd altitudes as suggested by the characters I, and 3. Therefore, Montreal and Boston pilots would have say, four bases designated as 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 and 8,000 feet while the Cleveland and Washington pilots would have bases for their airplanes, of` say, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 and '7,000 feet.

The game in actual practicerequires each player to receive a minimum of` five messages from the various flight superintendents orA other designated officers, which messages are written on cards addressed to the pilotand signed by a proper oflicer such as the flight superintendent. These card-.s (not shown) are suitably assorted and placed on the proper square, as the airline highest number on the spinner be the one to 1- start.

Assume Montreal is rst to start. 'Iflie player then spins and since he is ilying on thei Montreal-Newark radio beam, which is on anrj Y even altitude radio beam, he mustvget anweven number as a 2 or 4. Upon getting-either a 2 or 4, he then goes to the airline dispatch office for instructions, that is, he picks the top card which mayV read as follows:l Late-passenger..- hold flight-,lost turn. .The 'next time the Montreal pilot gets a turn he spins the pointer I0,pivotally mounted on II', at-point I2, and must again get a 2 or 4 to `enable said pilot to get further instructions from the `airline dispatch Voiiice. Assume.' that this time the dispatch oiiice message reads, Clear weather-..' start flight at 6,000 `feet-take extra spin.l The pilot-would then put his airplane on a base readt ing.6',000 feet altitude, and take the extra Vspin and-consequently moving the airplane the designated number of spaces, which aremarked I4.

without receiving specific instructions to do so. This station, B, ultimately causes al1 planes to lower their altitude to 2,000 feet, before landing, at Newark airport.

In turn the player b-y spinning, must move through the cone of silence onto the approach leg 20. If the player lands in the square, marked as the cone of silence, the legend shows that he gets an extra spin, to enable him to get out of this area, since in actual practice only one airplane is permitted to land at one time, While the remaining airplanes must circle overhead until the runway is cleared of airplane trafc, at which time the pilots still in the air must individually receive instructions regarding their lnext maneuver.

When theY player reaches the block of four spaces embraced by C, Vhe must receive a mes- Since there are'fourspaces `embraced by--the block I3, of the variousl radio stations such as. A-A and B',l it is clear that with Ithe spinner as shown not having a number thereon higher;

than i4, eachplayeris bound-to get at least one message from each of thestations. is alsov antenna, as shownat Fig. 2, but actually not` shown on the boardS, to preserve clarityin-l description andlegend. The instructionor leg-1 end on B is YReceive message from- U.Y S. Gov- 1 ernment radiostation, Vand placed thereon in a manner` similar to Fig. 2,

Between A andAf there is a space designatedV as LiL-and anotherAs-pace between Bi and theY cone `of silence, shown -as I5', which spaces :u

are representative of, and shownfby legend as, emergency fields, said 4fcone of silence1shown as dotted circle.

Each player in turn, movesof theA I3 bleek,

and eventually arrives on A I3 block,which has the same instructions lwhich are followed by certain statements as, lose tur-n, take extra spin, move' ahead ormove back to nearest emerf gency eld, etc.

When the playerreaches B, the instructions in message form` from the U. S'. Government rad-io. station Amay` beA favorable or,l unfavorable to the Aprogress ofthe playinglpiece toward the ultimate goal. whichfis the block 1:1, or Newark airport..Vv However,l before the Ypilot can proceed pastv block, I3. of B, a` messageimust be dreceived via the car'd set on Bi stating. in substance'that conditions are favorable and to come down to4 2,000. feetaltitude. .Consequently no Vairplane can move into or throughV the -cone of silencesage, that is, take a card from rectangle C',

which is shown by legend to be the Newark airport radio station. The instructions here will indicate to the 'player pilot just how heis to land his plane, that is theV instructions will be such'a's land south, or circle field and land north, etc. The charactersN, E, S and- W indicat'e north, east, south and west respectively.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the maneuvers practiced by the pilot flyingA the Montreal-Newark radio beam will be the same for the remaining pilots flying from Cleveland, Boston and Washington to Newark on their re spective radio beams;

In order to actually have a player land at theNewark'airport, Il, a player pilot must re-f f ceive the exact number on Vthe spinner corre'-` sponding to the number of spaces. left within'k the spinner range, counting I'I as"a space, to finish ,the game. In other Words, if a` player assignedr to land north, stops on the space marked N, moving his airplane. in accordance with 'the spinner number, his next spin Ymust be a2 in order for 'the player to reach the Newark airport on that spin. The first-player" Vvariety of'movements may be accomplished, and

in actual practicea player may receiveinstructions several times during night to either i-ncrease or decrease his altitude, say 2,000 feet, to meet certain conditionslall of which necessitates theuse of the variousbases for -the several spee cic altitudes.

The hangars, or points of origin, as I, 2, 3fand 4, each have a single representative or suggestive letter thereon, as C, M, W andB forlCleveland, Montreal, Washington and Boston'respectively, while the part 2I, which is the samev on all hangars, is representative of a wind sock which is used in actual practice to indicate the general direction o i the wind.r -A i Whilerspecicdetails oi'I thel invention have herein been shown andrdescribed, the invention is .not confined theretoras changes and alterations may be and may-become apparentto thesev Hav-ing thus describedl the invention, whatI# claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1..In an amusement device, a plurality of major straight playing courses extending radially inwardly to a common central space and each of said courses being divided into playing spaces, and a separate terminal course having a straight portion and a final portion defining a closed continuous path and enclosing a Winning space, both of said portions being divided into playing spaces, said straight portion extending outwardly from said central space and having its outermost playing space in common with a playing space of said closed continuous path portion.

2. In an amusement device, a plurality of major straight playing courses extending radially inwardly to a common central space and each of said courses being divided into playing spaces, and a separate termin-al course having a straight portion and a final portion defining a closed continuous path and enclosing a winning space, both of said portions being divided into playing spaces, said straight portion extending outwardly from said central space and having its outermost playing space in common with a -playing space of said closed continuous path portion,

yand. said continuous path portion being so constructed and arranged that only certain determined ones of the playing spaces of said continuous path portion constituting approach spaces afford access to the winning space enreach of said courses being divided into playing spaces, and a separate terminal course having a V straight portion and a final portion dening a closed continuous path and enclosing a Winning ,space, both of said portions being divided into playing spaces, said straight portion extending outwardly from said central space and having its outermost playing space in common with a playing space of said closed continuous path por- 'tion, chance determining means for indicating ,the number of playing spaces to be played, and -the number of playing spaces on said straight portion of said terminal course being at least equal to the maximum number of moves determinable by said chance determining means.

FREDERICK D. CLARKE. 

